E-123 Omega (Ｅ－１２３ "オメガ",E-123 Omega?), or, technically, E-123 Ω, is a fictional robot from the Sonic the Hedgehogvideo game universe, which first appeared in Sonic Heroes. He is considered a spiritual successor to E-102 Gamma who is part of the same robotics production line in the series. In the games, he was created by Doctor Eggman, and is out to destroy him due to lack of respect and lust for revenge.

Omega was created by Takashi Iizuka and designed and modeled by Nobuhiko Honda at Sonic Team USA. Omega has helped Shadow (and to a lesser extent, Rouge) in several games and while not being a major character, is popular enough in his own right and has established himself as a main character.

Contents

Concept and creation

3D concept artwork for E-123 Omega.

E-123 Omega was created by Takashi Iizuka, director of Sonic Heroes, the game Omega debuted in.[9] Omega was likely made to be a "filler character" for Team Dark in Sonic Heroes since no previous character would fit the role, or possibly because Iizuka didn't want to bring too many old characters and continued the tradition of adding a new one each game. It is also possible Iizuka made him as a nod to the E-100 Series since the ones from Sonic Adventure had all been destroyed.

Iizuka was possibly assisted in designing Omega by Nobuhiko Honda, Sonic Heroes's player designer.[9] His design appears to have been made with the intention of fitting in with the rest of the E-100 Series robots from Sonic Adventure (particularly Gamma) while making him stand out by giving him a stockier upper body and arms with different colored eyes. His height is also lesser than the other models and his shoulders larger with a visible Greek symbol on the front of the left and back of the right with red handlebars on the top. They also decided to go without the twin exhaust pipes and the Jet Booster from Sonic Adventure of the first E-100 Series robots, instead settling for one circling pipe around the waist with two flaps attached and having twin jets installed in Omega's back below the hunch. The stripe running from his head to stomach has also been changed so that it is a separate piece of metal altogether and not simply painted on like the others and he also has one extra finger and two hands with yellow wrists studded with large spikes like a dog collar. Just below his stripe is a plate of clear material that allows others to see some of his inner workings, but this is often colored blue or white in-game or in artwork.

Design Changes

Omega's design was changed considerably in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), with a taller head and bigger shoulders, along with various small details such as less smooth fingers (making them look somewhat skeletal), and giving him a more humanoid appearance. Omega's frontal stripe sticks out much more than in previous games. He has a thinner head, with the eyes closer to the stripe. The flaps on his sides have been given grooves for unknown reasons. And his hands also look sharper and rather run down.[10]
He walks and moves in a slower, more cumbersome manner like an old fashioned robot, compared to his wild, sometimes erratic, human-like movements in previous games. Omega's voice was significantly different from his previous portrayals in Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, sounding much more high-pitched and robotic.[11] Many of the Western players of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) blamed this on Omega's new voice actor, the late Maddie Blaustein,[12] and criticized her performance.[13] However, Taiten Kusunoki, Omega's Japanese voice actor, also sounded this way in Sonic the Hedgehog despite voicing Omega exactly the same as Jon St. John and Jeff Kramer, Omega's previous English voice actors, in the past two games.[14] Furthermore, when Maddie Blaustein voiced Omega again in Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games, she sounded exactly the same as Omega's previous English voice actors. This evidence suggests that Sega changed or altered the voice manipulation program used for Omega's voice in Sonic the Hedgehog to sound more robotic, but later reverted it back to normal, most likely because of poor reception. More recently, Omega had a design change for games like Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games & Sonic Generations which has it going back to it's Sonic Heroes design, with the flattened head, farther away eyes & smoother claws, but has some qualities of the next-gen Omega such as the clunky, human-like movements that overall make it a descendant of Gamma.

Omega's silver frontal stripe is also occasionally miss-colored as black in some artwork.

History

Early life

Omega was created by Dr. Eggman as the 24th and last of the doctor's E-100 Series robots. He was designed by Eggman to prevent the release of Shadow the Hedgehog from his stasis, and, in this case, he failed to control Shadow when he was released. To accomplish this, Eggman sealed Omega in an abandoned base with Shadow.[8] Being imprisoned infuriated Omega; he decided to prove his status as the most powerful E-Series robot by abandoning his original programming and taking revenge on his creator and all the other machines he built.[15]

Sonic Heroes

Omega debuted in Sonic Heroes. When Rouge the Bat went looking for Eggman's secret treasure in his base, she accidentally reactivated Omega when she released Shadow from a stasis pod. Mistaking Shadow for an Eggman robot and following his new mission, Omega attempted to take out the hedgehog. However, Rouge broke up the fighting long enough to hear both their stories. He soon teamed up with Rouge and Shadow as the power member of Team Dark.[16]

The three of them then started their search for Eggman at Seaside Hill and Ocean Palace before coming face-to-face with the Doctor himself (who was really Metal Sonic in disguise) in his Egg Hawk. After defeating it, they continued on to Grand Metropolis and afterward Power Plant, where they met with Team Chaotix. Rouge believed them to be rivals seeking Eggman's treasure, and a brief battle ensued. They then headed to Casino Park and Omega detected enemies two hundred meters ahead of them while Rouge was wondering about the Chaotix. They then went to Bingo Highway and finally met up with "Eggman" again, who set an army of robots against them, but were defeated by Team Dark's combined efforts. Following "Eggman's" energy signature, Omega led them to his ground base passed Rail Canyon and through Bullet Station before confronting "Eggman" again in his Egg Albatross and Egg Hawk combined. They defeated both and discovered that the Eggman they fought appeared to be a dummy that issued a recorded laughing, which angered Omega. The automaton then watched Shadow when he discovered a robot in his likeness before the ultimate life form ordered them to move and they proceeded to Frog Forest. After trekking through Lost Jungle, they came across Team Sonic, who were also looking for Eggman, and a fight ensued. Once this was over, Omega led them to Hang Castle on the search for Eggman and through Mystic Mansion. After they escaped the castle, "Eggman" appeared again, but Omega was unable to tell if it was really him or not due to his sensors being jammed. After defeating an even larger army of robots, Team Dark made its way on to the Egg Fleet and finally arrived on Final Fortress. After getting passed the ship's forces, they battled "Eggman" in his Egg Emperor and won, causing multiple explosions to course through the machine. After deeming "Eggman" eradicated, Omega then set about destroying a room full of Shadow Androids. Rouge had just entered looking for the Doctor's treasure. The bat then told Omega that Shadow, the one they knew, was a robot ("android" in the Japanese version), and before saying anything else, turned to leave. Then Omega said, with a slight sign of compassion, that in order for there to be clones the original must still exist.

Omega talking to Rouge about the Shadow Androids.

He then accompanied Team Dark to a large tower on the ship in the shape of Eggman, and watched as it was destroyed and the parts used to turn Neo Metal Sonic into the Metal Overlord, though still largely incomplete. He then gathered around with the other three teams as the real Eggman explained that Metal Sonic copied all their data and combined it with the power of Chaos, saying it would help if they had the seven Chaos Emeralds. Fortunately, all four teams had collected the emeralds during their adventures, and Rouge and Omega revealed they had the grey and green Chaos Emeralds respectively. But Eggman still thought it a long shot, so Shadow told Team Sonic that he and everyone else would distract Metal Sonic long enough for them to induce a super transformation using the emeralds' power. After Team Rose and Team Chaotix attacked Metal Sonic from the right and left sides of him, Team Dark struck him from the front by assaulting his weak point that changed to repel the attacks of the three members at the right time. But, fortunately, through team work, they managed to weaken him before he grew wings and took off into the sky. Team Sonic then went into their super states and challenged the Metal Overlord and won. Neo Metal Sonic was then reverted back to his original form, and Omega picked up his deactivated body when everyone was gone and watched Team Sonic, Rouge and Amy Rose run off into the distance with Shadow.

In the missions that Omega appears in, the player must either destroy the Egg Balloon ("Iron Jungle") or head to the center of Eggman's base ("Lava Shelter") to complete the "Hero" mission. Strangely, whether the player completes the "Hero" or "Dark" mission for "Lava Shelter", Omega will help Shadow fight the Egg Dealer, despite the "Dark" mission being helping Eggman. Omega is also playable by inserting a second controller, allowing the player to control him and use Omega to attack certain enemies within a limited distance. Omega is virtually invulnerable in this state, as he doesn't lose rings and deaths mean nothing. He doesn't use any weapons to attack and merely swipes at opponents with his hands or jumps on them.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

Omega appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) with a prominent role in Shadow's story, this time voiced by Maddie Blaustein (by Taiten Kusunoki (mistakenly credited as "Taitem") in the Japanese version). His face is used on the "Dark Hero" achievement, which is earned by "meet[ing] all the requests with magnificent skill," or in other words, complete all Town Missions with an S Rank and is worth 50 Gamerscore.[22]

Omega in standby mode in Crisis City.

Upon being sent to the future by Mephiles the Dark, Shadow and Rouge noticed Omega in standby mode in the "Crisis City" stage.[23] Rouge later goes back to the present alone, where she finds Omega in the ruins of Tropical Jungle, (judging by the throngs of Eggman's robots, it can be reasonably speculated that Omega was in the area to destroy them). Rouge asked Omega to help Shadow out in the future, entrusting him with the green Chaos Emerald they'd found.[24] Omega complied, and went into stand-by mode until the point in the future when Shadow was in trouble. Between then, Shadow was blamed for releasing Iblis by humanity, and, according to Mephiles, they reprogrammed Omega to hunt him down and seal Shadow[25] within a technologically advanced cage. Omega carried out these orders and was then left within Crisis City's ruins until he was meant to help the past Shadow. When the moment finally arrived after waiting two centuries, Omega reactivated and helped Shadow in a fight against Mephiles just when he was in danger,[26] after which Shadow and Omega went back to the present while chasing Mephiles through a time-warping sphere of energy.[27][28] They met up with Rouge at Soleanna's docks and Shadow headed off to get answers about Mephiles from Dr. Eggman.[29] Omega then went in pursuit of Mephiles himself while Rouge moved to Soleanna's Castle Town and was present when Shadow returned from the past.[30]

Omega confesses he captured Shadow.

Omega located Mephiles at position K31[31] in Wave Ocean and after getting passed obstacles and defeating numerous enemies, located Mephiles and proceeded to attack him. Mephiles teased Omega by saying that he was clearly made to capture Shadow judging by how easily he could defeat him, and showed knowledge of Omega's capture of Shadow. Before Mephiles revealed everything, Omega proceeded to unload his machine guns on Mephiles, and he disappeared in a black mist. Omega then revealed somewhat sadly to Shadow and Rouge that during his two hundred-year isolation he had been reprogrammed to capture Shadow due to humanity's fear of him and was the one who sealed him in his future prison.[25]

Team Dark in Dusty Desert, looking at the temple where Mephiles and the Chaos Emerald are.

The trio later chased Mephiles to a temple in Dusty Desert and Shadow and Omega navigated through it, trying to reach Mephiles before he could find the Chaos Emerald inside and merge back with Iblis to become Solaris,[32] but they arrived too late.[33] They had taken with them a new Scepter of Darkness and used it after defeating Mephiles, but failed to seal him in it because of his new form made through Shadow's shadow. After blasting all three members of Team Dark off their feet, Mephiles then used his powers, along with two Chaos Emeralds, to summon a clone army of himself. Before finishing them off, Mephiles reminded Shadow of humanity's betrayal against him in the future. Without hesitation, Shadow told him that if the world chose to become his enemy, that he would fight as he always had. Shadow then removed his power inhibitor rings and covered himself and his team in a huge amount of energy and defeated Mephiles and his clone army.[34]

Afterward, Team Dark took view of their handiwork and Shadow attempted to take Mephiles' Chaos Emeralds, only for them to start glowing [35] and transport them all off to a space-time rift created by the newly rectified Solaris along with Silver, Eggman, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Princess Elise and Sonic's dead body. Everyone briefly grieved over Sonic's death. Knuckles said that they had to stop Solaris at once, but Eggman informed everyone that Solaris couldn't be defeated in this specific time, since it existed in the past, present and future. Silver suggested that they destroy Solaris all at once, but Shadow countered his argument, saying it was not possible without Sonic's help. Elise then felt Sonic's presence in the wind and Silver realized that they could use the Chaos Emeralds to resurrect him. Omega and the others then spread out over the distant corners of the rift to find the Chaos Emeralds [36] and he traveled to Flame Core, where he found the green emerald near a lake of lava. Once all the Chaos Emeralds were collected, Sonic was revived with Elise's kiss and the power of the emeralds, transforming him into Super Sonic. He then gave this power to Shadow and Silver to transform into their Super States, and together the three hedgehogs defeated Solaris as Omega and the others watched them battle.[37][38]

Omega is playable in the first boss battle against Mephiles, Wave Ocean, Dusty Desert and the End of the World stages. He is also playable in the various downloadable Very Hard Missions of Shadow's levels, including Kingdom Valley, Crisis City, Flame Core, Radical Train, Aquatic Base, and Dusty Desert. He is final playable character in the "Team Attack Amigo" DLC in the levels Dusty Desert, White Acropolis and finally fights against the Egg Genesis, the DLC's only boss.[39]

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

In the story, Omega went to Eggman's ruined city of Metropolis to destroy any robots he could find, but he located the Marauders instead. The Marauders had reprogrammed Eggman's old robots to serve them and, upon discovering Omega, sent them to take him apart after he had to make a retreat into a room in Northwest Metropolis. The robots were successful, but Shadow was worried about Omega and went in search of him using an old Eggman device that picked up the automaton's signal. After losing it, Shadow then teamed up with Sonic and company to help find Omega. He was found in Chapter 5 by Tails, Eggman and the rest of their team. Omega was repaired by the young fox at Shadow's request, much to the disapproval of the Doctor. When Omega saw Eggman his first inclination was to attack him, but Tails told Omega that they'd joined forces with Eggman. At first Omega thought Tails had gone mad and suggested destroying him, but Shadow and Rouge confirmed this for the robot. Trusting his friends more than Tails, Omega teamed up with Sonic after recharging himself in the stronghold in the Underground.[41][42]

Omega was an optional character and his stripe was returned to his pre-2006 color, but now both of his shoulders have a "Ω" symbol. His main combat move was firing missiles at his enemies which could effect nearby opponents along with the main target when they struck. In combat, Omega had the highest damage power, and the highest armor, but was also one of the slowest and therefore only got one attack per round.[43] He (optionally) provides most of the end credits for Sonic Chronicles, along with Tails and Sonic. Omega also has his own wallpaper which shows Metropolis in the background.[44]

Sonic Colors

Omega confronts Cubot and Orbot.

Omega appears briefly in the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors, voiced again by Taiten Kusunoki in Japanese and by Vic Mignogna for the first time in English after almost the entire 4Kids cast was replaced.

Omega appears in the Asteroid Coaster area of Dr. Eggman's Amazing Interstellar Amusement Park as the area's first mission, confronting Cubot and Orbot. He repeatedly opens fire on them with his laser cannons, the two henchmen thinking him one of Eggman's robots going through a "rebellious teen phase." When Omega discovers they are Eggman's henchmen and they realize he is going to destroy them, they plead with Sonic to save them, since he saves everyone else. Sonic tells Omega to stand down, but he only agrees on the condition he gives him physical specification data by completing a mission[45] to collect five Wisps carrying numbered flags in the correct order within a minute and thirty seconds.[46] Sonic met his conditions and Omega revealed he would use the data for a function upgrade in the future. Sonic then asked Omega if he saw where Cubot and Orbot went, and a visually sad Omega admitted he had lost them. Tails then jokingly said he should be mining data from the two henchmen due to their track record for lightning-fast escapes.[47] Omega makes a later appearance in Asteroid Coaster alongside Shadow, wanting Sonic and Tails to chase after a secret amusement park ride of Eggman's to locate what it led to on another mission. They arrive at a lab and Tails hacks into the computer system, locating the results of an experiment called Project "Mother". Shadow was disappointed they didn't find more to help, but Sonic just focused on the fact that it was useful all the same before speeding off. Omega then asked why Shadow gave Sonic information, and the ultimate life form replied he was just happy to let Sonic do all the racing around. Omega found this hard to understand since Shadow and Sonic's abilities were equal according to his data and Shadow just replied that data would not tell him everything, leaving the automaton stumped.[48]

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Omega appeared in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games as a boss or rival character on both the Nintendo Wii and DS versions. His stripe returned to silver for this game and all following titles.[56][57] He was voiced by the late Maddie Blaustein in English and Taiten Kusunoki returned to the role for Omega in Japanese.

In the Wii version in Festival, Omega suddenly comes out of nowhere to challenge the character(s) to Speed Skating 500m on Day 5 in Singles[58] and Short Track Relay on Day 9 for Team,[59] saying his defeat was impossible. After the player has beaten Omega, they can buy a suit of him for their Mii s for a price of three hundred Star Tokens[60] and the music that plays in the background while challenging him for seventy.[61] The Miis can wear the Omega Suit in the game and it gives them stats that, presumably, would be identical to Omega's own if he were playable. Coincidentally, Omega's statistics are exactly the same as Dr. Eggman's.

Omega in Blitzland, looking out for Mario and Sonic.

In the Nintendo DS version, Omega plays a small role in the Adventure Tours mode as the first enemy boss of Blitzland and the final member of Team Dark to be fought against. In the story, Omega went on his old mission of defeating Eggman and confronted him in Blitzland, but Eggman said he would only fight Omega if he proved himself worthy by defeating Sonic and Mario, so Omega stationed himself in Blitzland near some storage tanks and waited. Eventually, Sonic and Mario appeared and Omega challenged them to Intense Short Track, but inevitably lost. He then confessed why he fought them and teleported back to the skating course in a black vortex to practice before Sonic, Mario or Toad could get a chance to make Omega their ally.[62] The player can go against Omega again by either selecting to fight against him on the Mission List or by visiting his post by interacting with the board there, even though he's no longer visible. Despite gaining new artwork for Mario & Sonic on the Wii version, the artwork used for Omega on the Nintendo DS comes from Sonic Heroes.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Omega at the Olympic Stadium for the 100m Sprint.

Omega appears again as a rival in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games in the London Party Mode, again voiced by Vic Mignogna and Taiten Kusunoki. His event this time is the 100m Sprint and you get the chance to meet Omega as one of three bonus events while exploring London in Free Time. He has received no new artwork or design changes this game and defeating him awards you a Big Sticker of Omega with his Sonic Heroes artwork on it.[63] A Mii costume of Omega is also available and gives you his would-be stats when worn.[64] With Omega's top areas being Acceleration and Max Speed, it seems he would have been a Speed type character, changing from Skill last game. Although no playable characters have these stats, they are shared with the Mii costumes of Marine the Raccoon and Wendy O. Koopa. Omega races by first gathering speed on foot, then uses his jets before charging for a final boost near the finish line as a last minute trick to win.[63] When you speak to him, Omega will use more normal words like "hey" instead of his typical robotic phrases. This is only for when he's talking with word balloons,[65] however, as you hear him talking vocally he sounds like his typical self.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Omega appears a room with various equipment where Donkey Kong is training. Tails and Espio then shows up saying Omega is wreaking the place. When Omega shows up he challenges Donkey Kong to an Olympic event but he declines. However Tails and Espio agree to take them on but Donkey Kong discovers Omega ruined his banana making him furious and the battle. The event is Wrestling (Free Style) Match. After the player wins a piece falls out of Omega and he says that someone was using this piece to control him and that his memory banks were blank. Omega then starts helping the players save the Olympic games. Along the way some memory banks are restored by random acts (such as when Eggman was mentioned a memory was restored and when he bumped into Big).[63]

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Sonic Generations

Omega appears in the Sonic Generations manga at Sonic's birthday party helping with the food, but is absent from the party in the game and the entire storyline. However, he makes several cameo appearances; one on various signs saying E-123 Omega RD in the level Speed Highway as a reference to Sonic Unleashed's Empire City level,[66] another in two screenshots shown during the end credits showing him in Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog, miscredited as "OMGA" on a poster for the latest Chao in Space movie, Chao in Space: The Search for Tikal and finally as a statue in the hidden statue room.[67]

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Other

Omega-like robots appeared in a McDonald's miniature video game called Shadow and Omega Hockey along with Shadow that for a time came free with Happy Meals. It was part of a series of McDonald's sport-themed Sonic games where the Omega robots and Shadow were playing a game of hockey and Shadow tried to get hockey pucks past the Omega robots who acted as goalies, starting with one Omega on the first level, and then three on the final one.

Personality

While Omega, as a robot, is largely emotionless, he is capable of understanding those of others, and reacting appropriately. For example in Sonic Heroes, when Team Dark is lead to believe that Shadow may be an android created by Eggman, Omega comforts a depressed Rouge (albeit in a distant, matter-of-fact matter) by saying that they needed the original to make a copy, thus meaning that the real Shadow is still alive. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), he shows depression and anger when Mephiles reveals that Omega is the one who will trap Shadow in the future after the world blamed Shadow for the release of Iblis. It is also possible Omega is superstitious, as he believes in omens such as the appearance of stormy weather, though this might have been because of his scanners picking up a powerful magnetic field.[68]

Like E-102 Gamma, Omega has a free will and a personality. However, he is considerably less noble than Gamma; while Gamma destroys only what needs to be destroyed, Omega destroys anything that could possibly pose any kind of threat to himself or his mission.[69] From his quotes, he thinks other Eggman robots are inferior to him,[70] dismissing them as "worthless consumer models", especially the E-2000 model.[71] He hates side tracking especially when it comes to locating Eggman.[72][73] Omega is also very proud and feels embarrassed after he is defeated by less powerful Eggman robots.[42]

It also seems that he lacks any sort of negativity towards Sonic and his friends, and didn't even recognize them during their first meeting in Sonic Heroes, as can be heard when the player finishes the Team Battle using Omega.[74] This is probably because Omega was made to contain Shadow the Hedgehog and not as a means to defeat Sonic. However, he does not appear to hold them in high regard, reffering to them as 'meatbags' in Sonic Chroniciles: The Dark Brotherhood.

Omega's only goals in life are to take revenge on Eggman for disabling him, and destroy the doctor's other robots to prove himself superior. At one point in Shadow the Hedgehog, Omega made a comment about how he would "reign supreme".[75] Some fans have taken these words quite literally, and believe that Omega wants to take over the Eggman Empire and become a robot overlord in the style of Metal Sonic. However, subsequent games have shown this less believable, and it is generally taken to mean that he wishes to reign supreme as the greatest of Eggman's robots.

Omega is fairly loyal and dependable when you're on his good side, a bit of a holdover from his original purpose as a servant, and he's not incapable of looking past differences to forge alliances. He also genuinely cares for Shadow and Rouge as friends, and accepts the truth of what they say to him over everyone else; for example, in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, when the party encounters him, he tries to attack Eggman the moment he sees him, and Tails attempts to convince him that Eggman is on their side; Omega then believes that Tails has gone insane and decides to attack him as well, and he only believes that Eggman is working with them when Shadow and Rouge tell him so.[42] In addition, he will temporarily abandon his vengeful quest against Eggman if he detects a bigger threat, as evidenced by his participation in the battle against Metal Madness.

Stereotypical of most robots, Omega tends to use somewhat lengthy words instead of usual human speech. An example of this is when he uses "negative"[76] or "affirmative"[77] instead of simply saying yes or no. Although he has been known to use typical human speech before,[21][78] such as one of his Hint Ring lines from Sonic Heroes: "Looks like those guys are guarding that case."

Notably, in all of his appearances (barring the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game, in which he behaved in a manner stereotypical of old robots), he makes odd, often erratic movements, such as spinning his head as if it's on a 360 degree axis in many circles and rotate his entire upper body the same way during confrontations with Eggman in Shadow the Hedgehog. Whether this is a programming flaw or intentional is not revealed. Also in Sonic the Hedgehog, when Omega is standing still, he makes odd movements as if he's doing warm up exercises.[79]

Abilities

Omega with his machine guns at the ready.

Omega has a huge array of extremely destructive weapons concealed in his arms, (somewhat similar to that of Grounder from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon), including two rapid-fire Gatling Cannons,[80] (Omega Machine Gun), two Flamethrowers,[81] (Omega Fire), two Missile Launchers, (Omega Missile), two unconventional rocket-propelled exploding Drills that function similarly to missiles[82] and Energy Cannons similar to those used by the E-2000 robots in Sonic Heroes. He can also rapidly rotate his hands in order continue spinning Shadow and Rouge while he holds them, either using the two as melee weapons or launching them as fireballs while in the middle of a jump[83] (Omega Bazooka). He can perform a similar move without Shadow and Rouge where he fires destructive heat-based projectiles directly at enemies (Omega Launcher).[84] This can cause multiple attack damage to an enemy within a single use. Another ability is his Lock-On Shot, which allows Omega to lock-on to a number of surrounding enemies, then release to attack with a Homing Laser.[85] In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, he has two new abilities called Beam Cannon and Temporal Field. With the Beam Cannon, Omega fires a very powerful laser that can pierce through opponents' armour, and he can deploy a purple energy sphere that phases an ally (or himself) and speeds them up with the Temporal Field. Certain weapons of his require the use of magazines as opposed to storing all his ammunition in bulk inside himself, as shown in Sonic the Hedgehog.[24] Omega can also utilize jet boosters built in his back to help him accelerate along the ground, increase the height of his jumps, and hover to slowly descend to the ground over long distances.[86] In Sonic the Hedgehog, new guns consisting of eight single-barrel weapons deployed around his wrists are seen that fire Omega Shots, which are a spray of pellets[87] that can blow away anything in close range.[88] In cutscenes, however, he's shown to be able to hit Mephiles with them well outside of effective range for gameplay.[25] It's possible he is also armed with explosive rounds for his machine guns, as evidenced by the damage he caused to the base he was sealed in by only firing for a few seconds.[89] Even with all these weapons, Omega is rather inaccurate (despite the fact that he has some form of targeting system),[90] most notably when he is firing many shots in every direction with expectations that some of them will hit.[91] It could be he only uses it for certain weapons, but why he wouldn't use it for all his armaments is unknown. It could be he didn't get a targetting system or a better one until after Sonic Heroes and that would explain his previous inaccuracy since he was shown to use a lock-on system for most of his weapons in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Like most Sonic characters, but unlike most robots, Omega can jump and turn in a ball, known as the Spin Jump or Spin Attack"; he can also grind on rails like most characters but unlike most robots. Omega is also somewhat fast due to a pair of jet engines located on his back, (at least fast enough to keep up with Shadow and Rouge to be more precise),[92] that apparently can be used for floating (which he does along with Shadow and Rouge,[93] calling it the Triangle Dive) and can also use to jump into the air, and hover. In Sonic 2006, Omega could jump and hover by if the player mashes the jump button after jumping, which allows the player to hover for much longer periods. This can be taken advantage of in Wave Ocean and allows Omega to go throughout all that area of the level by using various tall structures and obstacles to gain height and land on.[94] His walking speed isn't very impressive, but can be boosted by approximately 15% with adamantium double-lubricated actuator joints installed.[95] He has also displayed considerable physical strength.[96] Being a robot, Omega is able to resist strong blows with his remarkably tough armor,[8][43] certain forms of poisonous gas, psychic manipulation[97] and electrical currents that most of the other characters cannot pass through.[98]

In Sonic Heroes, Omega is able to use his team's Team Blast, "Chaos Inferno",[99] with Rouge and Shadow, which involves Rouge holding up Omega while he blasts everything around him with large purple energy beams and Shadow stops time with Chaos Control.

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), he displays new built-in arm weapons that can fold out eight semi-automatic guns all around his wrists instead of just replacing his hands with them.[100] He was also able to replace his hands with two powerful black Miniguns in the same game instead of silver like in Sonic Heroes.

Omega appears to be waterproof as he doesn't short circuit in Frog Forest, Lost Jungle or Charyb's lair when it's full of water, but he does die when he falls into the water of Wave Ocean like many other characters in Sonic 2006. Omega has scanners that allow him to examine both machinery and living beings.[101] He is also equipped with some kind of built in sensor that allows him to locate enemies, life forms and other various objects such as switches.[31] Like all "Power types" in Sonic Heroes, Omega is also able to drive.[102]

Omega appears to be very durable, as shown by how he has a very high defense in Sonic Chronicles, Omega also survived in the Crisis City while in shutdown mode for many years.

Weaknesses

Omega, though one of the more powerful characters, has a few flaws that have hindered him, and may do so again in the future. It is likely that he cannot swim, so water may pose a problem. He is also one of the slowest characters in the series, which makes him an easy hit should he come in contact with a foe such as Sonic, which is surprising as he was made to capture the equally fast Shadow. However, his speed increases considerably when he uses his jet boosters. Weirdly if one were to run too far ahead of Omega as Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog he could easily catch up before slowing down again. Although his strength is great and his weapons can cause significant damage, they can't destroy certain materials like gold. Some of his weapons, however, may be exempt to this.

Omega is also known to act before thinking, usually charging head-first into battle without any given strategy. This is Shadow's theory of how he could have been captured in Metropolis by the Marauders, in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.[41]

He may also have a faulty or nonexistent targeting system, explaining his reliance on spread-fire weapons and explosives. This is more easily seen in Sonic Heroes, where he doesn't even appear to be trying to aim until the camera shifts to his point of view.

At the end of a level in Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood Omega's torso spins around. It is unknown if it is a glitch or done on purpose, but may indicate Omega may need a few tweaks as has been stated.[103]

Relationships

Omega rarely shows feelings other than cold hatred, very different from Gamma's calm and obedient personality, but there are a few occasions where he seems to care about other people.[43]

Team Dark

Omega and the rest of Team Dark.

Omega's closest and only friends are his team members, Shadow and Rouge, though he didn't care much for them originally.[78]

Shadow the Hedgehog

In the the start of Team Dark's story in Sonic Heroes , after Shadow had woken up from stasis, Omega shot at him, thinking he was one of Eggman's robots. However, Rouge stopped the two and they decided to work together to fight Eggman. Now Shadow and Omega are close allies. In fact, Shadow is perhaps Omega's closest friend and is even seen worrying over his well being,[104] (which is quite odd for Shadow, as he usually keeps a tight lid on his emotions), it is possible that this is because they were both prisoners of Dr. Eggman (in different ways).

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Omega does not attempt to stop or destroy Shadow when Eggman claims that Shadow is an android that he created,[105] despite Omega's hatred of other Eggman robots. This is further shown in Sonic the Hedgehog where Shadow and Rouge encounter Omega in the future in standby mode. After Rouge notes that they can't do anything for him, both of them seem to show reluctance about leaving.[106] Also, in Sonic the Hedgehog, Omega shows anger at Mephiles' hinting of Omega's future betrayal towards Shadow, and proceeds to attack him. Omega then shows sadness while revealing that his mission in the future was to capture Shadow.[107]

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Shadow joins Sonic's team to find Omega, even calling Omega his friend and showed respect towards him,[108] (which is most irregular for Shadow), and shows anger if you refuse to rescue him. He also joins up with Omega to perform a POW move called Focus Field, where the two of them strike an enemy together, with Shadow using Chaos Blast and Omega attacking with his machine guns. Shadow also teams up with all three members of Team Dark to perform another POW move called Metal Storm, which involves Shadow levitating Omega into the air and Rouge kicks him at an enemy.

Omega and Shadow also seem to have a friendly rivalry of who is the more powerful, similar to that of Sonic and Knuckles, with Omega believing the title belongs to him.[109] Technically, Omega is right in the fact that he has more physical power than Shadow, but which of the two is a better fighter is not confirmed. Shadow is the ultimate life form, but Omega is not a life form and refers to himself with a similar title as the ultimate robot, so it is really a toss-up. They seem to be evenly matched in their only battle when they first meet in Sonic Heroes, but it is revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (as well as implied in Sonic Heroes) that Omega was made to contain Shadow from escaping Dr. Eggman's base where he was being held and actually captured Shadow in the future, so it's likely that Omega could defeat Shadow like he did in Sonic 2006 However this may not be the case as well because Sonic always destroys Eggman's robots and defeat Metal Sonic and perhaps Omega defeated Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) because Shadow did not want to hurt one of his closest friend.

Rouge the Bat

Omega is very loyal to Rouge. He usually follows her orders without question and is also quite caring about her (mainly because she freed him from his prison along with Shadow). This is shown at the end of Sonic Heroes, in which Omega comforts an upset Rouge albeit in a distant, matter-of-fact manner. However, as a robot, Omega is generally void of emotion, so this is possibly all he could do to comfort her.[110]

They first meet in Sonic Heroes after Rouge stopped Shadow and Omega from destroying each other to hear both their stories. She convinces the two of them to join forces to find Eggman since that is their united goal. While searching for the doctor, Rouge becomes fond of the robot and they become friends fast. Omega also lets her sit in his hand during their victory poses.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, she supports Shadow's joining because she doesn't want Omega to be alone.[111] She shows that she has gotten tired of Omega's serious nature,[73] him always wanting revenge and her having to listen to him ramble on about it constantly.[42]

She is part of Omega's POW move called Blazing Tornado, where he covers Rouge in fire with his flamethrower and she then kicks an enemy with fire damage. She also teams up with both Shadow and Omega during Shadow's Metal Storm POW move, where Shadow levitates Omega into the air and Rouge kicks him at an enemy.

Doctor Eggman

Eggman is both Omega's creator and greatest enemy. Omega is constantly trying to get revenge on the doctor for imprisoning him and will do whatever it takes to prove himself superior to Eggman's other machines.[15] However, Omega has passed up his feelings of revenge when he is needed to take out a bigger threat, such as the Metal Overlord, Solaris and the Marauders.[112]

Eggman doesn't seem too concerned about Omega trying to destroy him and merely thinks of him as a "thorn in [Eggman's] side".[42] In fact, Eggman hasn't really been seen interacting with Omega at all. And the few times he has been, like in Shadow the Hedgehog, could be considered non-canon. He does seem to think Omega is capable, however, as he thought he could defeat both Sonic and Mario on his own in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games,[62] though it is possible he just thought he'd slow them down and not defeat them.

Metal Sonic

The two might have only met once but the fact that Metal Sonic is one of Eggman's robots indicates that he and Omega are definitely enemies, (even going far enough for Omega to pass up his feelings of revenge).[113]

They first meet in Sonic Heroes (after Omega finished destroying a room full of Shadow Androids), where Omega helped to defeat Metal Sonic after he turned into the Metal Overlord along with his fellow team members. He is later seen exchanging looks with Shadow and holding a deactivated Metal Sonic in his arms.[114] It is unknown what they did with Metal Sonic or how Eggman Nega managed to get Metal and take control of him in Sonic Rivals.

Nocturnus Clan

Omega had a brief encounter with the Marauders, but seeks revenge against them after they disabled and humiliated him by taking him apart with inferior machines.[42] He doesn't seem to want vengeance on Shade the Echidna though. Most likely because she left the Nocturnus and Omega decided that she wasn't a foe.

Mephiles the Dark

Mephiles was one of Omega's greatest enemies, (possibly coming second to Doctor Eggman himself). They first met when Omega saved Shadow by distracting Mephiles with his machine guns in Flame Core after coming out of standby mode in Crisis City.[26] They then engaged in battle and Omega and Shadow proved victorious. Mephiles then escaped to the present with Shadow and Omega in hot pursuit.[27] Mephiles escaped but Omega and Shadow kept looking for Mephiles.[28]

Omega later found and defeated Mephiles once again in Wave Ocean. Mephiles then revealed to Omega that he knew that he was the one responsible for imprisoning Shadow in the future. Enraged by this, Omega proceeded to attack Mephiles with his machine guns. He then revealed this information to Shadow and Rouge.[25]

Omega then set off with the other members of Team Dark into Dusty Desert, determined as ever to seal Mephiles before he can merge with Iblis.[32] He and the others arrived too late, and then engaged Mephiles in a final showdown.[33] They proved victorious yet again, but they failed to seal Mephiles using the new Scepter of Darkness. Mephiles then created an army of copies of himself, and Team Dark destroy them (presumably) while Mephiles escapes.[34]

Later, Omega and the others were transported[35] to a time-space rift by Solaris along with Silver, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman, Princess Elise and Sonic's dead body. Omega then helped the others retrieve the Chaos Emeralds to save Sonic's soul[36] by searching for one of them in Flame Core. He later watched Sonic come back to life,[37] and remained on a monument transported from Soleanna as Super Sonic, Super Silver and Super Shadow erase Solaris from existence, thus erasing Mephiles from existence as well.[38]

E-series

Omega harbors a deep hatred to all of the E-Series robots, (especially the E-2000 which Eggman began working on shortly after shutting Omega down.)[71] Omega is determined to destroy all the E-Series and any other of Eggman's robots[115] which he dismisses as "worthless consumer models".[116]

E-100 series

The E-100 Series are Omega's predecessors. Although he has never actually been seen with any of his "brothers," Omega does indicate that he knows of their existence and he thinks them as his inferiors.[117] It is unknown if he bears any hatred towards them, but it's unlikely, partly because they've all been destroyed.

Sonic and Friends

Although Omega has worked with Sonic and co. on numerous occasions, according to Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood he only helps them because either Shadow or Rouge are involved in the matter.[43] He doesn't think much of Sonic and his team, and mainly refers to them as "MEATBAGS."[42][118]

He lacks any real relationship with any of them and it is likely several of them don't even know who he is, as Omega is one of the few characters in the series to barely have any social interaction with Sonic and his friends. In fact, the closest interaction he's had with any of them is when Tails repairs Omega and when he partners up with Big for the move "Wrecking Ball" in Sonic Chronicles, which could be considered non-canon since he is only optional and plays no major part in the story, so his largest canonical interaction would be when he fought teams Sonic and Chaotix and agreed to let two Eggman robots walk free in return for data in Sonic Colors.

This lack of interaction is most likely due to the fact that Omega is a "Team Dark-exclusive" character, only appearing as a playable character in games and story lines that involve both Shadow and Rouge, whom both only have minor interactions with Sonic and friends. Excluding Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Battle, Sonic Rivals, Sonic Rivals 2 and Sonic Free Riders.

However, in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Omega was one of the characters who has grieving over Sonic's death, and he also helped recover the Chaos Emeralds in order to bring Sonic back to life. This shows that Omega may in fact have some feeling and concern for Sonic, but he could've also helped recover the Emeralds because Shadow and Rouge were doing so.

G.U.N.

Omega seems to lack any negativity towards G.U.N., and doesn't seem to want anything to do with them, such as in the game Shadow the Hedgehog, where he tells Shadow to ignore the G.U.N. robots in the Iron Jungle stage (it is unknown if this was because he was more concerned with finding Eggman as he indicated[119] or actually cared about them being destroyed). He does however, seem to look down on human government affairs, and sees them as a nuisance (if anything), actively telling Shadow not to even bother with them.[120]

Although some speculate that he is a member of G.U.N. like his friends since Rouge asked them for his location in Sonic the Hedgehog,[121] this has yet to be confirmed. However, he does join GUN in the Sonic the Hedgehog comics series, presumably to keep Team Dark closer together and to make for easier story-telling.

Appearance in other media

Archie Comics

Omega appears in the continuity of Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. He first appeared in issue 3 of the spin-off comic Sonic Universe in February 2009. This version of Omega was activated by Doctor Eggman in order to track down and destroy E-102 Gamma. Omega, the "walking arsenal", battled Gamma's sleeker "assassin" model. Before Omega destroyed Gamma, Gamma uploaded some computer code to Omega that Gamma referred to as his "soul". The feedback from this transfer made Omega uncertain of his purpose. He subsequently joined Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat as members of G.U.N.'s Team Dark, dedicating himself to battling the Eggman Empire.

Reception

Omega has a mixed reception from fans. Some see Omega simply as a bad remake of E-102 Gamma, that he is just a filler for Team Dark, saying that both Gamma and his story are much more complex than Omega, although some like that because they think quite a few Sonic characters are too complex, like Shadow the Hedgehog for example. Some see him as a fun character not really needed to the plot and acts as a sort of comedy relief to the games he's in. Fans also think of Omega as not being very developed because he seems to add nothing to the series besides trying to kill Eggman endlessly.[122] Others point out that this is realistic since he has little history and a lower capacity for personality than other characters, because he is a robot.

After his debut in the Archie Comics, some criticized Omega seeming too Human and less robotic and felt him gaining a "soul" was rather cheesy, but others felt that it was better than how he got his sentience in the games and made him actually have an appreciation for the feelings he had, rather than just gaining them out of anger.[123] It should be noted that this criticism is slightly hypocritical, seeing as Omega was criticized for lacking a personality in the games and then for gaining one in the comics.

All in all, Omega is a character who has little fan base, but few people view the character in a negative manner.

Performances

The recordings of Omega's voice actors are all edited with audio programs to give him a more robotic voice, but the performances are different and sometimes the program used on his voice is changed. When Taiten Kusunoki voice acts Omega, he does it in a monotone and deep voice that sounds even more robotic and distorted than the English voice actors. The only exception to this is Sonic the Hedgehog, where his natural voice comes through much more strongly due to the change in audio editing and the only difference is that his voice is echoed. He talks more slowly during Sonic Next Gen, most likely to better synch with Omega's slower movements.

Omega's first English voice actor, Jon St. John, gave Omega a deep, monotone yet naturally paced voice. When Jeff Kramer took over, he spoke slower as Omega, presumably to make him sound more robotic. Maddie Blaustein's performance in Sonic the Hedgehog incorporated the use of a different voice program, so Omega's voice was high-pitched and echoed instead of deep and layered. When she voiced him in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, the original voice program was put back in to use and her performance closely mirrored that of Jeff Kramer (whose recycled voice clips made up the majority of Omega's speaking lines). Vic Mignogna has assumed the role as of 2010, giving a slower-paced performance similar to Kramer's using a slightly different version of Omega's voice program, though this could be due to the audio quality of the Nintendo DS rather than SEGA themselves.

Trivia

In Sonic Heroes, Omega has a purple aura around him while jumping. In Shadow the Hedgehog, it is red. In Sonic the Hedgehog he has no aura, and simply jumps using his jets, without spinning.

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Omega's hover ability can be exploited to fly without descending by repeatedly tapping the jump button instead of simply holding it, though this could be due to a glitch.

Omega is the only playable character in Sonic Heroes to not have appeared in the anime Sonic X or its comic spin-off.

It is possible that Omega is not powered by an animal like the rest of the E-Series robots (with the exception of E-121 Phi and E-100 Alpha) as he was in standby mode for over two hundred years in Sonic the Hedgehog, therefore, the animal would have died (although he does mention something about a back-up power source).[24]Archie Comics writer Ian Flynn has speculated that Omega's power comes from the Power Cores featured in Sonic heroes.

In the Xbox 360 version of Sonic the Hedgehog, in the scene where Shadow and Omega return from the future, if you look closely above the purple portal you can see Omega on top of it before he comes out of it. This is one of the numerous glitches found within the game.[125]

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood marks the first time he's ever been playable on a handheld Sonic game, the first time he hasn't had a voice actor in a game he's playable in, the first time he's ever been playable outside a main series console game, and his first appearance on the Nintendo DS.

After you win a battle with Omega in your team in Sonic Chronicles, he turns his upper body around and the stripe on his torso is replaced by a thin line.

The position of the capital Omega symbol (Ω) on Omega's shoulder has changed throughout the series. In Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog, the symbol is on the front of his left shoulder and back of his right,[126] in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) only one is on the front of his left[107] and in Sonic Chronicles it's on both sides of his left and right shoulders.[127] As of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Omega's symbols have been returned to their original place, but in Sonic Colors it keeps moving due to Omega only having a single still image that is paralleled to represent him facing an opposite direction. Most of the time, he faces to the left, however, and on that side his symbol is in the correct spot.

Interestingly, the Omega symbol in modern times is often used to refer to Ohms, a measure of resistance in a circuit. This is fitting, seeing as Omega is mechanical and "resisted" Eggman's rule early in the franchise.

During any battle in Charyb's lair when it's flooded, the player can see air bubbles coming out of Omega even though he does not breathe. It is possible that he is treated as the living thing.

Omega's character art for Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog shows him with a black stripe running down his chest. However, the gameplay model in both games and the CG cutscenes in Sonic Heroes show it to be a grey/silver. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), both his character art and model showed the silver stripe. However, BioWare made the stripe black again for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

The term "meatbag", one that Omega used on several occasions in Sonic Chronicles: the Dark Brotherhood, is well known for being used by HK-47 who debuted in the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003, another game developed by Bioware. Coincidentally, Omega and HK-47 made their worldwide video game debuts in the same year. They also believe themselves superior to other robots and like to participate in acts of violence. It should also be noted that since 1999, "meatbag" has been used repeatedly by Bender, another robot, of the sci-fi animated sitcom Futurama.

Omega's first English voice actor, Jon St. John, was also the voice of Big the Cat and Duke Nukem from the series of the same name. By coincidence, Duke Nukem is yet another "gun toting" and destruction loving character.

Omega's second English voice actor was once believed to be Andrew Rannells, who had also voiced Gamma in Sonic X, despite the vast difference in voice.

Omega's current voice actor, Vic Mignogna, is commonly known for voicing Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist and Broly from Dragon Ball Z.

Omega is the only "Amigo" character in Sonic the Hedgehog to fight in a boss level (Mephiles the Dark in the Flame Core level along with Shadow).

Many fans believe that the song Waking Up by Julien-K,[128] (the theme song for the "Neutral" ending of Shadow the Hedgehog), is also meant for Omega as well as Shadow, as some of the lyrics also describe certain characteristics of Omega.[129]

Omega was probably withheld from the final story of Shadow the Hedgehog because as a robot, Omega would be immune to the paralyzing gas used by the Black Arm. Storywise, Omega may have been battling Eggman's robots at the time, since he was previously seen in Eggman's Lava Shelter, and would have no way to get to the Black Comet.

Omega, Cream the Rabbit, and all three members of Team Chaotix are the only recurring playable characters to not get their own personal theme song.

In Sonic Heroes, Omega is the only Power Type character who is not organic, as well as the only playable character who was introduced in the same game.

In Sonic Chronicles: the Dark Brotherhood, Omega is one of the four characters to not be affected by the brainwashing of the Voxai Overmind, most likely because he is a robot.

Omega is the only ally in Shadow the Hedgehog to not receive new artwork for the game, most likely because he was also not included in the opening cinematic and would not have a polished CGI model. This does not include the icon used for his mission in Iron Jungle and Lava Shelter.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was Omega's first appearance on a Nintendo Wii game.

While Omega is not playable in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, the Mii suit designed after him (which mimics Omega's stats) reveals that Omega would, surprisingly, be classified as a Skill type, despite Omega being faced in a speed-orientated event and being classified as a power character in Sonic Heroes. Interestingly, Omega's stats are the same as Eggman.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Omega is the only character with equipment unique to him.

Omega was one of the final roles ever played by Maddie Blaustein.

In the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, when Omega runs low on stamina, he can be seen sweating despite being a robot and therefore not having sweat. It is most likely use for casually reference, or comic relief.

Omega seems to have significant knowledge of the Shadow Androids Eggman was employing, as he immediately assumed Shadow was one of them when first laying eyes on him and also told Rouge that they were made through cloning when she discovered a room full of them.

Oddly, Omega was denied a place on Team Dark in Sonic Free Riders and was replaced by E-10000B. In terms of canon, Omega wasn't on the team because Shadow and Rouge were unaware that each team had to have three racers and had to quickly find one to enter, which was how E-10000B got on the team. In real life terms, SEGA chose to not have Omega present to provide a plot twist for the ending, as E-10000B was merely Metal Sonic in disguise who served as the game's final boss.

Omega seems to speak differently in the games. In Sonic Heroes, Omega could speak in complete English. In Sonic the Hedgehog, he could speak English, but mostly said computer commands. In Sonic Colors, all he said was computer language or incomplete English.

While using a glitch, you can get Omega into Shadow's section of Wave Ocean, and even complete the stage as Omega. Sonic and Tails can get there also, using various glitches.

Omega has the capital Omega symbol (Ω) painted on the front of his left shoulder, in contrast to all the other E-100s, which had lowercase Greek letters. This may be to show that Omega is the most powerful of Eggman's E-Series (though, the original set of E-100 series from Sonic Adventure had various Greek symbols), or because the character's designer felt that the capital letter was more noticeable and well-known than the lowercase (ω).

Omega is one of two characters who have Sonic Channel artwork identical to their first renders, the other one being Gamma.

When Omega talks in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood his text is all in uppercase letters to convey robotic speech. In other games such as Sonic Heroes, Sonic Colors, and the Mario & Sonic franchise Omega speech is written in standard text.

With the exception of "Sonic Gems Collection" and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" Omega has never appeared in any Sonic game without Shadow or Rouge appearing in the same game, cameo or not.

Omega weighs a hefty 1,230.512 kg (2712.77 lbs) making him the heaviest character in the Sonic series.[8]

In the cutscene before fighting Team Sonic in Sonic Heroes, nearly every black area of his design is navy blue. Assuming that it is not an error, this could be due to the lighting of the forest.

As a part of the E-100 Series, his similarities to E-102 Gamma, and created only shortly after Sonic Adventure 2 (when Eggman's robots still had animal power sources), Omega is also likely to possess an animal as his power source, which would help explain his capacity for personality and individualism. However this possibility has not been explored.

↑ 21.021.1Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) [After Shadow activates a "Hint Ring" in the Expert Mode of Lava Shelter.] Rouge the Bat: "So, Shadow, how are you holding up? You're doing great! Only four stages left!" [Rouge is cut off by Omega.] E-123 Omega: "This is Eggman]]'s secret base. I will defeat him, and prove that I am the strongest!" [Omega is cut off by Rouge.] Rouge: "Omega, cut it out! Don't you have anything better to do?!" E-123 Omega: "Ohh..."

↑Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) [Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat walk through Crisis City and then notice Omega.] Rouge the Bat: "Omega! What's he doing here?" [Shadow opens Omega's panel on his back and begins typing.] Shadow the Hedgehog: "It seems he's in stand by mode."

↑ 41.041.1Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008) Shadow the Hedgehog: "What do you want, Sonic?" Sonic the Hedgehog: "Tell me about what happened to E-123 Omega." Shadow: "I don't know. We've lost touch. But knowing him, he likely detected Eggman robots in Metropolis and went there to destroy them. He's always wanted to be the toughest robot of all, and he'll take any chance to prove his strength." Sonic: "Do you think he's in trouble?" Shadow: "Omega's strong, but he's not invincible. And he's hardheaded enough to charge into danger without thinking. If something happened to him, I will be very upset." Sonic: "Where do you think he is?" Shadow: "The device I had when you found me was some kind of tracker, and it said he was in Metropolis. It couldn't tell me where, exactly. So either the device was useless, or Omega's not giving off a signal anymore. That worries me." Sonic: "We'll find him." Shadow: "If those Marauders have done something to him, they have no idea what's coming to them. I'll stick with you until we find Omega, Sonic. But don't expect me to join in on your group hugs and picnics. I'll be ready when it's time to go."

↑ 42.042.142.242.342.442.542.6Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008) [After they enter the room with Omega inside.] Shadow the Hedgehog: "Wait! That's Omega! I knew it! Those Marauder goons. We have to--" [Robots enter.] Miles "Tails" Prower: "Later! Someone's coming!" Shadow: "Good. I need to smash something." [...] Shadow: "Omega!" Doctor Eggman: "Oh, don't waste your time on this one. He's been a thorn in my side for years!" Shadow: "Quiet, Eggman, or I promise you I'll--" Tails: "He's still functioning! Just heavily damaged. But I think I can... Yes! With the parts from those guardian robots, I can repair him!" Shadow: "Do it." [...] Shadow: "Omega! Can you hear me?" E-123 Omega: "SYSTEMS COMING ONLINE -- E-123 OMEGA BEGINNING REACTIVATION PROTOCOL." Rouge the Bat: "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that..." E-123 Omega: "EGGMAN DETECTED. BEGINNING ANNIHILATION SEQUENCE." Tails: "No! Omega, Eggman is on our side!" E-123 Omega: "ORANGE FOREST CREATURE HAS GONE MAD. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE DESTRUCTION." Shadow: "No, Omega. He's right. Eggman is helping Team Sonic against the Marauders." Rouge: "As hard as it is to believe." E-123 Omega: "THERE IS NO REASON TO DOUBT SHADOW OR ROUGE. THERE IS NO REASON TO TRUST THE REST OF THESE MEATBAGS." Tails: "What happened to you, Omega?" E-123 Omega: "I CAME HERE TO DESTROY ALL OTHER EGGMAN ROBOTS. BUT I WAS SURROUNDED BY STRANGE CREATURES AND FORCED TO FLEE. THE COWARDS FOLLOWED ME. THEY MADE THEIR ROBOTS DISMANTLE ME WHILE I WAS HELPLESS. DISASSEMBLED BY INFERIOR MACHINES. IT WAS EMBARRASSING." Shadow: "Come with us, Omega. We're going to destroy the Marauders for what they did to you." E-123 Omega: "YES. THEY WILL BE DESTROYED FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME." Rouge: "Ugh. Again with the emotionless revenge. It just gets tired." Tails: "Let's go, team!" Eggman: "Yes. We have much work to do!" E-123 Omega: "I MUST TAKE TIME TO RECHARGE BEFORE COMMENCING REVENGE." Shadow: "The stronghold in the Underground, Omega. You can recharge there." Eggman: "I never agreed to allow that faulty machine to--" Shadow: "Silence, Eggman. Now." E-123 Omega: "I WILL GO TO THE UNDERGROUND TO RECHARGE. YOU WILL FIND ME THERE IF YOU NEED ME." Shadow: "We'll get the Marauders for what they did to you, my friend. Let's get to it. The Marauders must pay."

E-123 Omega is the last of Eggman's E-series robots. Rouge released him when she released Shadow from his stasis pod, at which point Omega, believing the hedgehog to be another one of Eggman's creations, attacked Shadow. Rouge managed to end the fight long enough to find out that Omega was angry at Eggman for imprisoning him in the abandoned base with Shadow. At that moment, Omega joined up with Rouge and Shadow to form Team Dark. Since then, he has longed for a change to take vengeance on Eggman and prove that he is the strongest of Eggman's machines.

Omega can be harsh and ruthless, but he does have free will, something that Eggman's robots tend to lack. While he rarely shows emotion beyond hatred and desire for revenge, Omega is capable of feeling loyalty and friendship, as he considered his Team Dark teammates to be friends. Whenever he teams up with Sonic, it's not because he likes Sonic, but because Shadow is part of the team.

In combat, Omega has the highest damage power and armor of all characters in the game. He is so slow, however, that he only gets one attack per round.

↑Sonic Colors (2010) E-123 Omega: Condition met. Attack data stored for use in later function upgrade. Sonic the Hedgehog: Did you see where those two robots ran off to? [Omega slumps his shoulders and looks down.] Omega: Trace not possible. Targets lost. Miles "Tails" Prower: You should be mining data from those junk heaps' lightning-fast escapes.

↑Sonic Colors (2010) Shadow the Hedgehog: I've been waiting for you, Sonic. Miles "Tails" Prower: Shadow and Omega? What are you two doing here? E-123 Omega: Location found: Eggman's secret ride. Sonic: A secret ride? Shadow: The Doctor seems to be hiding something there. Tails: Hiding what? Sonic: Well, I guess we'll know that once we go see it. [After mission is completed.] Tails: You did it, Sonic! Sonic: So, what's he got hiding in here? Tails: Just give me one second and I'll crack this system wide open. Project "Mother" a success... Massive energy source secured. "Mother" beyond control. Subject escaped. Current whereabouts unknown. Looks like the results from some experiment. Shadow: Hmph. Disappointing haul for a promising lead. Sonic: Well, every little bit helps. Thanks, you two. Omega: Remaining time: scarce. Hurry! Sonic: I will. C'mon, Tails! Tails: Hey, wait up! Soniiic! Shadow: Finally, a little peace and quiet. Omega: Inquiry: why did you give Sonic information? Shadow: I'm happy to leave the racing around all day to them, thanks. Omega: Unable to process. According to data, your ability equals Sonic's. Shadow: That just goes to show that data won't tell you everything. Omega: Does not compute...

↑ 62.062.1Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) E-123 Omega: Intruders detected! Leave at once! Toad: Yipes! Is that one of Eggman's robots?! E-123 Omega: Negative. Dr. Eggman is my enemy. Toad: Doesn't that make you our friend, then? Eggman's our enemy too. E-123 Omega: That is unverified. You are not authorized to pass. You must beat me at Intense Short Track or you will be eliminated. Toad: I'm not sure about his logic, but it sounds like he's not going to just let us pass. [After Omega is defeated.] E-123 Omega: I cannot face Dr. Eggman now. Does not compute! Toad: Maybe you could tell us what the problem is, Omega? E-123 Omega: I transported to Blitzland to defeat Dr. Eggman... But Dr. Eggman gave one condition before he would accept my challenge: "Stop Mario and Sonic from intruding." I have failed. Does not compute! [Warp hole appears.] Toad: What? Omega! Where are you going? E-123 Omega: I will practice the Short Track so that I may defeat Dr. Eggman at a later date. [Omega disappears.] Toad: I thought Omega was on our side. Too bad we couldn't get him to join us.

↑ 63.063.163.2[Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games [All Rival Showdowns] 0:00 to 2:14 shows all of Omega's event and dialogue.]

↑Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011) E-123 Omega: Target located! Hey you! You look like you're pretty fast. But I'm faster than even England's high-speed Javelin train, and I'll prove it in the 100m! You ready? [After Omega is defeated.] Does not compute. My speed rivals the Javelin! How could you win? Does mean my speed only rivals the London bus? Must fine-tune performance components immediately...

↑Sonic Heroes (2004) PC version. [After activating a Hint Ring.] E-123 Omega: "Activate Team Blast, Chaos Inferno, by pressing the Z Button when the gauge displayed at the top right of the screen if full. Once activated, you can immobilize the enemies, but only for the time remaining in the gauge."

↑Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) Doctor Eggman: "Shadow and Omega? Why you traitors! You two are going to stop me??!! Move aside!" [Shadow puts out hand to stop Omega attacking Eggman.] Shadow the Hedgehog: "Doctor, please I need to know...those androids...the ones that look like me, am I..." Doctor Eggman: "Yes!" Shadow the Hedgehog: "What?" Doctor Eggman: "You and Omega are my creations! But you betray me as you stand here before me! So now...I will destroy BOTH, turning you into scrap metal!" [Shadow falls to the ground with shock.] E-123 Omega: "Eggman...I will defeat you once and for all!"

↑Sonic Chronicles: The Dark BrotherhoodShadow the Hedgehog: "The Marauders? Why would I work for them? I've been searching for E-123 Omega. But ever since I got here, these Marauders have been coming out of nowhere to stop me. I've decided to give any Marauders I find a severe beating. To put it mildly." Sonic the Hedgehog: "What happened to Omega?" Shadow: "E-123 Omega is one of Eggman's most powerful robots. Unlike Eggman's other robots, however, Omega was... intelligent. He hated Eggman. Omega was trying to track down Eggman. I've searched all of Eggman's old hideouts for Omega, but no luck. I think maybe Omega went into Metropolis and he got disabled somehow. I was on my way to find him when you stopped me." Sonic: "Why were you looking for him?" Shadow: "Because a powerful and friendly Eggman robot is a valuable ally. Even the likes of you should understand that. More than that, though, he was my friend. And I won't let a friend rust in Metropolis at the hands of those Marauders."

↑Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) [After Shadow activates a "Hint Ring" in the Expert Mode of Mad Matrix.] E-123 Omega: "Shadow. I hear you're engaged in some training. You know you'll never be stronger then me! If you think so...then I challenge you to find and access all four of the world's databases."